Dutch National Chemistry Olympiad¶
Nationale Scheikundeolympiade
Logo¶
Overview¶
The Nationale Scheikundeolympiade (NSO) is the Dutch national chemistry olympiad for pre-university secondary students (mainly 5 VWO and 6 VWO). It is coordinated by the Nationaal Comité Scheikundeolympiade via SLO (Stichting Leerplanontwikkeling, the Dutch national curriculum institute). Key institutional backers include the KNCV (Royal Netherlands Chemical Society), C3 (youth chemistry communication centre), and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
The official NSO web platforms show continuous annual activity from 1980 onward, and maintain one of the most complete open exam archives among European chemistry olympiads.
Key Website¶
- Scheikundeolympiade
- Historical Archive (Radboud University)
- Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (KNCV)
Competition Format¶
The NSO follows a three-stage structure.
-
Round 1 (Eerste voorronde)
- A written examination taken at the student's own school
- Approximately 3,000 students from ~150 schools participate
-
Round 2 (Tweede voorronde)
- A second written examination for top scorers from Round 1
- Also administered at school level
-
Final Week (Eindronde)
- An intensive multi-day event for the top 20 students
- Includes a 4-hour theory exam, a 4-hour practical/laboratory exam, and a computational Drug Discovery Challenge
- Features lectures, workshops, and industry visits
- The top 4 students form the Dutch IChO team
Eligibility¶
Open to students in 5 VWO and 6 VWO (the final two years of Dutch pre-university secondary education). Students participate through their schools.
Student Outcomes¶
Awards at the national final include the NSO-prijs (overall champion), the Kanjerprijs (top 4 finalists), the Praktijkprijs (best laboratory score), and the Drug Discovery Challenge award. While the Netherlands does not have a centralized system of university admission waivers, top NSO performance is widely recognized as a strong credential for competitive programmes at Dutch research universities.
IChO Performance¶
The official IChO results database lists the Netherlands with 7 gold, 20 silver, and 93 bronze medals, and 18 honorable mentions. The Netherlands has produced several top-ranked IChO medalists, including an absolute world champion.
History¶
- 1980: The first NSO was held. The Netherlands also first participated in the IChO that year (12th IChO, Linz, Austria), becoming one of the first Western countries to join.
- 1982: Breakthrough early success at Stockholm IChO with two Dutch gold medals.
- 1986: The Netherlands hosted the 18th IChO in Leiden, and delivered one of its strongest ever team outcomes (2x gold, 2x silver). Alain Verberkmoes achieved world rank #1; Alec Massen van der Brink was #2.
- 1990s-2000s: The NSO expanded its national exam infrastructure (preliminary rounds + final round).
- 2002: The Netherlands hosted the 34th IChO in Groningen.
- 2010s: Stable three-phase structure and broad school participation; annual final rounds rotated between universities and industry-linked hosts.
- 2020-2021: Competition format was adapted due to COVID-19 restrictions (online/hybrid national finals).
Exams Archive¶
2012-2025 (All-rounds)¶
| Year | English | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Link | Link |
| 2024 | Link | Link |
| 2023 | Link | Link |
| 2022 | Link | |
| 2021 | Link | |
| 2020 | Link | |
| 2019 | Link | |
| 2018 | Link | |
| 2017 | Link | |
| 2016 | Link | |
| 2015 | Link | |
| 2014 | Link | |
| 2013 | Link | |
| 2012 | Link |
1997-2011¶
| Year | Preliminary Round 1 | Preliminary Round 2 | Exercises | Final Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Link | Link | TheoryQuestion TheorySolution Experiment |
|
| 2010 | Link | Link | Link | |
| 2009 | Link | Link | Link | |
| 2008 | Link | Link | MonthlyQuestion Exercise1 Exercise2 |
Link |
| 2007 | Link | Link | MonthlyQuestion Exercise |
Link |
| 2006 | Link | Link | MonthlyQuestion Exercise1 Exercise2 |
Link |
| 2005 | Link | Link | MonthlyQuestion Exercise1 Exercise2 |
Link |
| 2004 | Link | Link | MonthlyQuestion Exercise1 Exercise2 |
Link |
| 2003 | Link | Link | Link | Link |
| 2002 | Link | Link | Link | Link |
| 2001 | Link | Link | Link | |
| 2000 | Link | Link | Link | Link |
| 1999 | Link | Link | Dutch English |
|
| 1998 | Link | Link | Link | Link |
| 1997 | Link | Link | Link |
1980-1996¶
| Year | Preliminary Round | Exercises | Final Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1995 | Link | Link | |
| 1994 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1993 | Link | Link | |
| 1992 | Link | Link | |
| 1991 | Link | Link | |
| 1990 | Link | Link | |
| 1989 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1988 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1987 | Link | Link | |
| 1986 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1985 | Link | Link | |
| 1984 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1983 | Link | Link | |
| 1982 | Link | Link | Link |
| 1981 | Link | Link | |
| 1980 | Link |